1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to farm equipment and more particularly to a hay bale loader.
Jumbo size bales of hay, or the like, are usually cylindrical in general configuration having a length on the order of 5 feet (1.52 meters) and 6 feet (1.83 meters) or more in diameter having a mass of approximately one-half ton (0.45 metric ton) or more and thus are not easily lifted and transported, as from the field to a place of storage or to livestock feeding grounds.
This invention provides winch operated flexible strand members for loading such bales of hay onto the bed of a pickup truck, or the like.
2. Description of the prior art.
Hay bale loaders for moving large size cylindrical bales of hay or fodder presently in use usually comprise a trailer-type device, such as is disclosed by patent No. 3,964,621 which uses a winch mounted on the forward end of a wheel supported trailer frame for tilting a bale of hay to a loaded position on the trailer frame by means of a spike inserted axially into the hay bale and connected with the winch to tilt and hold the hay bale on the trailer.
The principal objection to such a hay bale loader is that it represents an expense for equipment used only periodically, the expense being considerably greater than the cost of the hay bale loader of this invention. Further, the strands, such as twine, holding the hay or feed in its rolled up condition, on account of weathering, such as over a period of two or more years, usually have become weakened which results in their breaking and a resulting failure to load the bales of feed onto the trailer.
This invention provides a hay bale loading apparatus which comprises a minimum of relatively inexpensive parts occupying a relatively small space when not in use and which is easily and quickly assembled for loading a hay bale.